Films are used in a wide variety of applications, including as package items (e.g., food) and in personal care absorbent articles (e.g., diapers, feminine care articles, etc.). One problem associated with many conventional films is that they are often formed from a synthetic polymer (e.g., LLDPE) that is not renewable. Unfortunately, the use of renewable polymers in such films is problematic due to the difficulty involved with thermally processing such polymers. Renewable polyesters, for example, have a relatively high glass transition temperature and typically demonstrate a very high stiffness and tensile modulus, while having low ductility/elongations at break. As an example, polylactic acid has a glass transition temperature of about 59° C. and a tensile modulus of about 2 GPa or more. Nevertheless, the tensile elongation (at break) for PLA materials is only about 5%. Such a high modulus and low elongation significantly limits the use of such polymers in films, where a good balance between material stiffness and elongation is required. In addition to these problems, polylactic acid, for example, is also too rigid for quiet flexible film applications and tends to have performance issues during use, such as causing noisy rustles for adult feminine products.
As such, a need currently exists for a film that is formed from a renewable polyester and yet is still capable of exhibiting a relatively low modulus and high tensile elongation.